Making Made Easy: Best Sources for Metal Table Bases & Legs

Pair an existing table top with a new metal base and you get instant and affordable furniture. Five years ago I remember searching for simple, basic table legs on the internet, but came up largely empty handed. Now metal bases are widely available, which means it's easy to make your own tables without needing to weld. Three cheers for that!

TOP ROW:

1. Lou and Sarah paired a reclaimed top with industrial modern legs in their super stylish dining room, spotted on Design*Sponge. Modern Legs sells a similar, but smaller, tapered set, and also offers custom legs for a reasonable amount of money. Etsy-ite DIY Furniture Store also sells a version. Lastly, more shapes and sizes can be had through Territory Design.

2. Tanya, of Dans Le Townhouse, made this desk from metal rods with the help of her welder husband. Things are infinitely easier for you with the Habitat's small metal trestle. For you Americans, try Balasagun on Etsy instead.

4. Emily Henderson found this card catalog table at a flea market, but anything is possible with a set of metal hairpin legs. Easy to attach, they work with any number of table tops or cabinets. Tons of sizes are available at places like Hairpinlegs.com (how long do you think it took to come up with that name?) and Logan at onefortythree.

5. Sarah Dorsey made this herringbone table with an angled steel base, with materials purchased at her local Home Depot. Since this version requires a little more assembly, head over to Sarah's blog for the full DIY.

BOTTOM ROW:

6. Lest you forget about our favorite Swedish furniture giant, I'm here to remind you that IKEA has a range of metal table legs that are sleek and completely affordable. You see them pop up often, like on this table seen on Creature Comforts.

7. And then there is good old-fashioned pipe, available at hardware stores everywhere. The nice thing about pipe is that it's customizable, and you can create whatever size and shape you need. For example: this metal console table from Handmaid Tales.

8. Last but not least, don't forget the humble caster, which, combined with a storage trunk or chest — or a stump like this one from A Beautiful Mess — easily becomes a versatile coffee table. You can buy casters at places like McMaster-Carr, Home Depot, and the aptly named Caster Specialists.